47493 built in 1927 at the Vulcan Foundry at Newton le Willows, Lancashire to a Henry Fowler design for the London Midland and Scottish. This was a development of the older Midland Railway design of 1899. There were eventually 417 of the class built. She started her career as LMS no16576 and was shedded at Bromley by Bow in London and worked suburban passenger and trip freight trains around north London. Before the last war she was renumbered to 7493 and then in April 1948 she became BR number47493. November 1954 she was transferred to Speke Junction, Liverpool. Other depots visited were Newton Heath, Manchester in November 1958, Speke Junction again March 1959, Springs Branch, Wigan July 1962 and finally to Edge Hill Liverpool where she was withdrawn in December 1966. In June 1972 Mr B.G. Buckfield bought her from Woodhams Brothers scrap yard at Barry where she had been stored since arriving in April 1967. Her first year of preservation was at the Somerset and Dorset Railway Circle at Radstock Shed then on 8th November 1973 she was towed to Cranmore via Westbury by "The Green Knight". 47493 was steamed on the 1st January 1976 for the first time in 10 years and returned to full service in September. She was used on brake van trips and then on 4^th April 1980 it ran the First proper passenger train over the line from Cranmore West to Merryfield Lane. In 1982 it went into the works for six months for an intermediate overhaul. Then in 1984 the boiler was retubed in the Running shed. The axle boxes were removed, remetaled and refitted during the winter of 1985 Also in 1985 47493 appeared on a postage stamp issued by Tuvalu Islands in the "Leaders Of The World " series and a unique place in history. 1988 brought problems with the firebox but with great effort by our volunteers it was kept going for the Santa trains. It continued running with a six month boiler inspectors ticket it was taken out of service on Sunday 24^th September 1989. But due to 75029 failing on 21^st December 1989 47493 was put back into service with the inspector's approval to run the rest of the Santa services. Fourteen years to the day when it was first steamed on the ESR 47493 was taken out of service on January 1^st 1990. Due to further loco shortages it was finally taken out of service after working a B R Special train on Saturday 24^th February.

It the started a rebuild that took until November 1997. Now at Tunbridge Wells for repairs.